We need to neuter our cat before we move next month, so I wanted to learn more. Is your cat depressed? The reputable long distance moving company you must have hired to help you move to another part of the country will not usually agree to transport your cat as pets, together with plants, hazardous goods and perishable foods, fall into the category of non-allowable items. Physical signs that a cat may be depressed will be manifested in sterotypies such as biting or scratching. Make sure the temporary “prison” is thoroughly free of possible residual scents of previous pets, and as secure as it can be – all windows and doors should be closed and even locked to prevent daring escape attempts. He is known to skillfully incorporate his never-ending energy, utmost dedication and raw passion into his works. during the first day while they’re desperately trying to get their bearings. Needless to say, the most essential thing you can do for your feline friend when moving house with a cat is to prove your utmost forethought and planning skills so that your cat is exposed to as little stress as possible. What should I do? Your cat may become depressed after the loss of a housemate, moping around your home during his period of grief and sleeping more than usual. In that room, make sure that your cat has his same food (this is NO time to change his diet), and water bowls, same litter box and litter, same bed, toys and blankets. If you happen to notice considerable changes in your pet’s behavioral patterns, you may be dealing with a classic case of cat depression after moving. As if their nine lives and unrivaled gracefulness were not enough, cats are gifted with a number of outstanding qualities that can even be perceived as superpowers: the unique abilities to see in the dark and reflect directed light back to its source, to locate the house spot with the strongest concentration of positive energy and then channel that same energy effectively for achieving mystical healing effects. https://www.thesprucepets.com/ways-to-help-cat-with-new-space-2436403 Moving with Cats to a New Home: How Moving Affects Cats. Remember that your cat understands more than you probably think, so you shouldn’t be surprised at all when, all of a sudden, your friend becomes less frightened and less stressed out as a result of this little talk. The pet transportation carrier should be spacious enough so that your pet can sit or stand comfortably, as well as turn around freely in it. Adding apple cider vinegar to your dog’s water or food offers many health benefits. Whenever you’re not home during the day, consider providing your cat a companion either in the form of another pet or a hired pet-sitter. in order to feed your pet’s feeling of security. Why You're Miserable After a Move Moving to a new town decreases happiness. Cats can become depressed after a major disruption in their lives, such as moving, adding or losing a family member, or having their owner’s schedule change. The loss of a beloved human or furry companion affects not only humans emotionally but cats as well. Cats tend to be very vulnerable when taken out of their familiar world where everything makes sense and placed in highly unfamiliar surroundings where nothing makes sense anymore. Do not entrust your pet to your professional movers! Believe it or not, your cat can feel this way, too. She stays under the covers all day. If none of the above options works for you, then designate one special room where your pet can be at a safe distance from the packing and moving madness. Feline depression is often a result of a major change in a cat’s life – prolonged periods of loneliness, death of a companion animal or their owner, or an abrupt change of their familiar surroundings. It’s human to feel down, blue or even depressed sometimes. Valentine’s Day Quiz: What’s the Perfect Gift for Your Pet? The above feline depression symptoms can only serve as guidelines and the best answer to the burning question “My cat is depressed after moving. People perhaps view me as someone who would actually know more about moving and relocating felines than the average Joe. I want my loving little girl back. To tell if your cat is depressed, pay attention to any changes in sleeping habits, vocalization, eating habits, and behavior. Can Cats Get Depressed? So, transport your cat inside the pet transportation carrier. So, if 1) you are a cat owner and 2) you are about to move house, then you should definitely learn how to go about moving your cat to your new home. We use cookies to optimise your experience. Featured Image: Via belovodchenko/Thinkstock, By: Cheryl LockPublished: February 1, 2017, By: Chewy EditorialPublished: September 1, 2016, By: Chewy EditorialPublished: August 28, 2017, By: Chewy EditorialPublished: October 21, 2015, By: Chewy EditorialPublished: September 12, 2016, By: Chewy EditorialPublished: September 5, 2016. She shares her life with her fiancé and their eight cats. What should I do?” can only be answered through a thorough veterinary examination. Pay special attention to our practical advice when moving with cats so that the relocation trip proves to be smooth and stress-free not only for your feline friend, but also for you as their loving master. *At MyMovingReviews we will connect you with a professional moving expert. Excessive vocalization often occurs when a cat loses a close companion, whether it’s another cat, dog or person. Be sure to take all safety measures before and during the actual relocation so that your feline friend doesn’t feel threatened, insecure or unhappy during the local or long distance move. You can contact Joshua Green at: joshua@mymovingreviews.com. If you performed a local residential move, you’d better leave your mobile phone number and photos of your cat with the people now living in your old residence in case your animal friend manages to escape and make it back to their old home. You shouldn’t forget that your ongoing house move is nothing short of a big leap out of your cat’s comfort zone and therefore you must arm yourself with considerable and notable patience during the third and final stage of your cat moving adventure. In order to diagnose it accurately, you need to know the typical symptoms of depression your cat may be exhibiting after the relocation: loss of appetite, lack of enthusiasm, uncharacteristic non-meowing, atypical aggression, lack of grooming, excess sleeping or prolonged periods of isolation. When a family member (human or animal) passes away or moves out, your cat may grieve and become depressed. Once you’ve moved home with your cat you need to give them at least a week to get used to their new surroundings before you let them go outdoors. Your cat will probably not understand spoken English but they can surely detect the calming and reassuring tones of your voice. “Generally, we think that depression is associated with a poor immune system,” says Houpt. But now they’ve moved away and since the cats been gone i’ve been feeling so so much more helpless, numb & depressed and I don’t know how to help myself. and you may be speaking with another licensed provider. Now that you know cats can be depressed, you might be asking, “How do I know if my cat is depressed?” Symptoms of depression in cats may include one or more of the following: Loss of appetite; Excessive appetite; Hiding; Less active (sleeping a lot, lethargic) Lack of grooming; Aggressive behavior (including hissing or growling) Excessive vocalization; Having accidents outside the litter box; Changed sleep patterns; … It might surprise you but many cat owners don’t realize that the cats they adopted don’t get along and the tensions can lead to aggression. Make sure the cat carrier is safely locked and secured with a seat belt so that it won’t move around or even worse – topple over and hurt your cat. Depressed cats may hide to ensure they won’t have to deal with the people or other animals in your household. I appreciate these tips on how to move cats to a new home! Cats are known for their diverse, often feisty, personalities; some are anxious, some reserved, others inquisitive. Cats are extremely sensitive creatures of habit who are not great fans of change. Which 2021 Grammy-Nominated Artist Is Your Pet? Place your animal friend in that safe heaven and provide fresh water, favorite food, a comfortable cat bed, a litter tray, and preferably some of their most loved toys to keep them busy. The one word that best sums up the signs of cat depression is “withdrawal”. Our tips for moving with cats continue with useful pointers on what you should do after moving into a new house with a cat. Unusually for a Disney character, Shere Khan may be suffering from a depressive episode (Picture: Rex) 7. I adopted my two-year old domestic tabby Hildegard from a shelter in April. Thus, if your feline stops doing something that … Of course, we can’t know for sure what goes on in our cat’s minds, but they can certainly show signs of deep sadness and depression. Helen is a feline behavior consultant and freelance writer in Malvern, Ohio. A cat unable to climb, hunt, play, or claw can become frustrated and depressed. As oversensitive to ambient changes as that, cats being moved between two homes can have close to a nightmarish moving experience if their fears are not understood completely and their needs not addressed properly. She hides under the covers of my bed and if I go near her she hisses and claws at me. The reason for this prohibition is safety, of course, which means that moving your cat from one home to another falls on your shoulders. Don’t forget to inform whoever is responsible for the microchip data update of your new address. There is also a male fer rel cat in the area. The cat will roam around the house meowing, as if trying to find her missing buddy. Give your cat time to adjust by moving the feeding station little by little until you’ve reached the new spot. My male cat seems depressed long after moving. Did you know that planning ahead is the secret to a smooth move for your cat? While at the vet’s office, request copies of your pet’s medical records or any other documents you may need during or after the residential move. When your house or apartment is void of moving boxes, furniture, appliances and personal possession, as well as clear of muscular strangers, then place your animal friend in the ready pet carrier and get them in the car with the rest of your travel companions. Depressed cats may over or under eat and vocalize more than usual when depressed. Don’t forget to provide proper identification for your cat as discussed earlier. We are in a wooded area and I have seen a fox in the area. Privacy policy | Terms of service | Sitemap. For pets who are as closely attached to their familiar surroundings as they are to their caring owners, it’s important to understand that cats can have it pretty rough when a house move takes them out of their comfort zone (current home) and throws them into a strange environment (new home), especially if the new house or apartment has residual scents from other cats. Does your cat seem less interested in his daily meals and fail to empty his, Has your cat started spraying or stopped using his. As was the case in your old home, you may choose to place the traveling container in the room or leave a closet door ajar so that your cat can find a more secretive place to hide. A qualified vet in your new city is the only person who can confirm your cat’s diagnosis of behavioral depression and prescribe proper treatment. You will definitely need a specialized pet container in order to guarantee the comfort and safety of your cat during the relocation trip to your new home. … Yes, Please! Take Our Quiz, Cat Rescuer Sterling “TrapKing” Davis Wants You to Rethink Your Stereotypes About Cat Parents, A Literal Lifesaver: Debra Jo Chiapuzio Donates Pet Oxygen Masks to First Responders, These Carob-Mint Cookies for Dogs Are Inspired By One of Your Favorite Treats, This Instant Pot Dog-Friendly Stew Is All Kinds of Cozy, Food to Comfort a Dog With Upset Stomach Symptoms, One Mouse Health Problem You Can’t Ignore, Shocking Truths Behind 11 Strange Cat Behaviors. There may be other feline depression causes but moving to a new home is a reason enough for your cat to get seriously down in the dumps. On the other side of the coin, bereaved cats who have lost a close companion, such as another cat or human, may begin vocalizing much more than normal. Your depressed cat may begin hiding in corners, under furniture and in disused rooms. The despairing feeling of sadness or despondency is not only typical for human beings – animals known for their heightened sensitivity, especially cats and dogs, can also get depressed after a move between two homes. Certainly cats can exhibit depressed behavior, but the general consensus is that they do not experience the same emotional changes associated with clinical depression in humans. If your cat is depressed because another cat in the household has passed away, they may benefit from a new cat friend (or they may not). A lot of things can happen to a cat after they went through an altercation with another cat so here is what you must know about cat behaviour after fight. The home moving process is notorious... Read More, As you might already know, packing for a move is the most time-consuming task in any packing and moving checklist.... Read More, There are so many things to think about while getting ready to move out that it’s only normal to fail to do... Read More, Posted on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, Last updated on July 28, 2020, Joshua Green is a relocation expert and a moving industry professional, one of the esteemed contributors to MyMovingReviews.com with specialized articles and informative guides which help people organize and execute their moves easily and comfortably. When animals are closely bonded they are more likely to be upset by the loss of their companion. Do you need help with your upcoming move? Honeysuckle: If your dog has become depressed after moving to a new home and is having difficulty in adjusting to new circumstances. Required fields are marked *. Make sure you have all the outdoor exits covered as it’s too early to let them go outside yet. To make the tough transition as smoothly as felinely/humanly possible for your cat, give your friend the most valuable present in the entire cat universe – your #TimeLove. Even if the aggression was with another cat, the fact that the cat went through a fight is as traumatizing for them as it would … In the meantime, learn what you can do to help cure feline depression or prevent depression in your cat in the first place. Your cat should be in good health before you embark on the relocation adventure, so make sure you take them to the vet’s office. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. “Cat depression is an abnormal behavior in which the cat shows a change in activity, change in vocalization and usually a decrease in appetite,” says veterinary behaviorist Katherine Houpt, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, N.Y. “Depression in cats is not very common, or at least it isn’t recognized as a quiet, less active cat doesn’t bother the owner.”. My family is planning on moving to a new home next week and we have 2 siamese cats that we’re worried about with the move. As crazy as it may seem to possible onlookers, sit down and have this fundamental man-to-pet chat with your feline friend, explain why things are changing and reassure your pet that these changes are for the better. Related: How to ship animals to another state, Do not be alarmed to learn that many things can go wrong during a home move. These intimidating interruptions in your cat’s set routine will frighten your animal friend and their anxiety level, after an initial sharp spike, will continue to rise. Has their life changed recently in an unsettling way? Aren’t All Cats a Bit Sad, Really?! Talk it over with your veterinarian and make an effort to give your feline friend some extra love and attention. Our tips for moving a cat to a new home continue with practical advice on how to move a cat cross country in the safest and least stressful manner. Fruits and vegetables for dogs can rev up important nutrients in their diet. Thanks a lot for mentioning how you should take your cat to the vet before moving. How to avoid giving up your cat - advice covering allergies, the No Pets rule when Renting, Pregnancy, New Baby or when moving abroad. Keep in mind that your cat will get upset by anything that is not in its right place – scattered moving boxes and partially disassembled furniture will first confuse and then scare them. For some reason, my email inbox gets more play on the issue of moving outdoor and feral cats than just about anything else (except those pesky deals on Viagra, which I definitely do not need and am utterly confused as to why this kind of spam gets addressed to me). Avoid being bitten by not letting your pet bird on your shoulder.